


knock on my door!

by xuxikr



Series: One Month, One Fic: 2019 [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Boys Kissing, Fluff, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, Swearing, VALENTINE FIC!, flirting lol, markhei are gross and coupley, mention of harassment but its no way near explicit, renjun cried donghyuck tries to help, whipped donghyuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 14:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17768213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xuxikr/pseuds/xuxikr
Summary: They don’t knowknoweach other. But when Renjun is crouched down in front of his door, curled up with his head buried in his arms as he hugs himself, worry begins to settle in Donghyuck’s chest.





	knock on my door!

**Author's Note:**

> happy valentines!!! i wrote this in a span of a few hours... so sorry for the mistakes!!! let's go renhyuck nation!!

 

Valentine’s day isn’t really Donghyuck’s thing. He thinks it’s capitalism’s way of roping people into spending excessive amounts of money on things they can get for cheap literally during any other day of the year.  

It’s overrated and expensive, and Donghyuck really wants to sleep the entire day off especially since he has an early day at work tomorrow, plus he has had enough of his friends (Mark and Yukhei) being lovey dovey and insisting they bring him along to their date. He did not have fun at all.

Yeah, he’s happy for them and they’re both happy—but Donghyuck doesn’t really want to wallow in self-pity the whole day for not having a significant other during the time when everyone is busy getting it on. He’s lonely, okay, but he doesn’t want that being shoved into his face.

So Donghyuck makes his way back to his apartment building, using the stairs as always. He’s not going to be one of those people who ride the elevator just to get to the second floor.

It’s early in the evening, probably eight or nine. It took him a long time to finally make an excuse so he can escape Mark and Yukhei. He knows it’s pity that’s bounding them to take him out today but Donghyuck doesn’t really want any of that.

He almost makes his way to the door when he hears a faint noise from a few doors down and the logical part of his brain says that it’s a person but the overly active and imaginative part of his brain tells him that it’s a ghost waiting to swallow him whole.

Donghyuck pauses as his hand hovers over his keypad. Slowly, with his heart thrumming in his throat, does Donghyuck turn to look at the source of the sound.

He’s prepared to see a ghost, but what he sees instead of a mysterious entity is no other than his neighbour, Renjun.

They don’t know _know_ each other, save for the casual smiles they share whenever they go down the stairs at the same time or when they see each other in the gym. He only learns his name because of the one time Renjun’s online order got wrongly delivered to his doorstep. But when Renjun is crouched down in front of his door, curled up with his head buried in his arms as he hugs himself, worry begins to settle in Donghyuck’s chest.

He hesitates and thinks about it for a moment, the blue numbers of his keypad staring at him as he mulls it over. The worst case scenario is that, Renjun thinks he’s a weirdo trying to pick him up and he’ll get kicked out of the apartment building for harassment but he doubts that will happen. He thinks (likes to think) that Renjun knows his face enough not to attack him when he sees him approaching him.

Best case scenario—he finally gets to know his cute neighbour and gain a friend that hopefully doesn’t shove to his face how painfully single he is.

Donghyuck takes a deep breath to gather courage before he pulls himself away from his door and onto the path that leads to his neighbour. He has his hands shoved inside the pockets of his knock-off Balenciaga hoodie, his sneakers making a sound against the floor but the nearer he gets to Renjun, the more he realizes what’s happening.

Renjun is crying, evident from the soft sniffles and the erratic rise and fall of his shoulders.

For a second, Donghyuck hesitates on his decision but then Renjun’s looking up from his lap, to Donghyuck’s dirty sneakers before he finally tilts his head up to look at Donghyuck.

Donghyuck gasps a little as he gazes back into Renjun’s fluffy red eyes. Tears are staining his cheeks as droplets continue to fall from his eyelashes and if he’s out of his mind, Donghyuck will think he’s pretty. Perhaps Donghyuck is out of his mind, because he does think that Renjun is pretty.

When Renjun sniffles and wipes his tears with his sleeves, Donghyuck finally manages to gain back his voice. “H-hi, everything good?”

That’s probably the worst question to ask someone who’s crying, but Renjun only laughs and wipes his tears away. Donghyuck wants to disappear. “I’m obviously crying, but thanks for asking, Donghyuck.”

Donghyuck awkwardly shuffles his feet and clears his throat. “Sorry. Rough day?”

Renjun nods and pats the space next to him on the floor. Okay, Donghyuck has no idea when the last time this floor has been cleaned but just the promise of Renjun’s presence already seems convincing enough for him to sit next to him.

Oh. The floor is cold and his ass is frozen, but Renjun speaks and suddenly it’s all he can hear. “Mind if I rant a bit?” Renjun glances at him, before he focuses on his shoelaces again.

Donghyuck crosses his legs, suddenly aware of how close he is to Renjun with their arms brushing against each other. “Sure, I wouldn’t have gone over if I’m not willing to be a good neighbour and listen.”

Renjun nudges him with an elbow before he begins to speak. “I work at a Chinese restaurant and they have this stupid special Valentine’s Day promo or whatever—and we’re wearing _fucking_ heart headbands. I understand the holiday, really, but why the fuck do I have to deal with dignity-losing gimmicks? Anyway, that’s not only that—I’m out there, doing my job and everything. Until this customer flirts with me and tries to touch me! I’m Huang _fucking_ Renjun, how dare he touch me? You know what I did, Donghyuck? You know what—I want you take a guess.”

The first thing Donghyuck notes is the colourful language Renjun speaks in. Needless to say, he’s hooked. The second thing he notes and realizes is that Donghyuck is asking him a question. If he’s not too busy staring at Renjun, he probably has an answer for him now.

Donghyuck laughs a little, perhaps out of amusement or nervousness at how powerful his neighbour actually is. He’s more than Mr. Cutie to Donghyuck now. “Um, told your manager about it, hopefully?”

Renjun shakes his head adamantly, pressing his hand to his chest as he purses his lips. “Oh Donghyuck, you think too highly of me—I punched that motherfucker in the face.”

He tries, he really tries not to laugh but the visual of Renjun giving someone a sucker punch makes him snort, once—and then twice, before Renjun begins to laugh with him too.

Their laughter begins to die down and Renjun’s wiping tears away from his face again. This time, Donghyuck thinks—it’s out of laughter and not whatever that’s been weighing him down to reduce him to a crying lump on his front door.

Renjun continues to speak when they fall in a comfortable silence. “So that’s a whole mess, my hand’s still swollen but it’s so worth it,” he lifts his knuckles in front of Donghyuck and he hisses at the sight of the swollen fist. Renjun should really get some ice on that. “It’s worth it, yes—but I lost my job.”

Donghyuck feels the weight on Renjun’s shoulder now. He can’t even think about him losing his job in this economy and with the record Renjun left in his previous workplace, it’ll definitely be hard for him to gain another one in a short period of time. He doesn’t know what to do, but he does what he _knows_ will make him feel better.

In an odd bout of courage, Donghyuck drapes an arm over Renjun’s shoulders. The other tenses for a bit, before he ultimately relaxes and melts against Donghyuck’s warmth. Almost, Renjun’s almost leaning against him but he feels the other’s weight enough on him for him to know that Renjun doesn’t completely repulse this.

“That’s not all, though…” Renjun follows through and Donghyuck looks down at him with his brow raised.

How worse can Renjun’s day be? He has had a considerably sucky day because it’s Valentine’s but he knows none of his experiences today can amount to Renjun’s struggle.

“The reason why we’re sitting here out in the cold, freezing our asses off—is because my keypad’s battery died out. I’ve been meaning to change it but I’ve been so busy and I keep forgetting… so now it’s dead and I’m going to be dead if I stay a minute longer in this cold.” Renjun says it with absolute seriousness, Donghyuck can’t even find a punchline.

And then, he realizes. “Oh! Oh!” He shuffles up from the floor and offers a hand out to Renjun. “Do you want to come in my place? I mean, I got a heater and warmer clothes—you can… stay the night if you want.”

Renjun’s taking his hand in his before he even knows it. “God, I thought you’d never ask.”

 

 

If Mark hears about Donghyuck letting a semi-stranger into his own house in the middle of the night, he would never have heard the end of it from the older. He knows Mark will go on a whole lecture about safety and taking care of yourself but Donghyuck knows that Renjun has clean intentions. He just wants to get warm.

After treating his swollen fist, Renjun’s in the shower and Donghyuck has let him borrow some of his clothes. Meanwhile, Donghyuck’s in the kitchen preparing some hot tea for the other as he quickly learns that Renjun despises coffee and thinks that chocolate is too sweet.

He wonders if preparing soup will be too much (too domestic) but still, Donghyuck makes do with what he finds inside his fridge—this reminds him to go grocery shopping real soon, too.

The kimchi jjigae is prepared just right before Renjun exits his bathroom. Donghyuck lays out the bowl of stew and the tea on the table and excitedly beams at Renjun, who, by the way—looks absolutely adorable in _his_ clothes.

Renjun patters over to him with a smile. “You didn’t have to.” But all that’s in Donghyuck’s feeble brain is the fact that Renjun looks so _cute_ and _tiny_  in his hoodie and sweatpants.

Okay, enough getting lost in his own Renjunized thoughts. Donghyuck smiles and offers a chair which the other gratefully takes. “No problem, you’re my guest and I want you comfortable.”

Donghyuck has had dinner, lots of it because Yukhei and Mark treated him to dinner but he still pulls out the chair from across Renjun when the other convinces him to have some soup too. It seems that this night is just filled with Renjun convincing him to do things.

Not to be shallow, but Donghyuck thinks he’s diving into what the kids call _whipped culture_ way too easily. He’s Lee _goddamn_ Donghyuck, how can he be whipped for someone this easy?

But when Renjun praises his cooking skills and lets out a groan with his eyes closed, Donghyuck feels the tips of his ears go red. Okay his fragile beating heart, calm down a little.

Donghyuck hides himself behind his spoon and eats quietly, until Renjun speaks again. “Won’t someone get mad that you have a boy over at this time of the night?”

Renjun’s tilted his head to the side curiously, spinning his spoon around the bowl of stew lazily as he looks at Donghyuck with a hint of a smile.

Donghyuck snickers and shakes his head. “I’m literally the most single person in the whole entire world.” How can Renjun even assume that he’s seeing someone? The thought of him dating seems absurd.

A ghost of hesitation flickers over Renjun’s expression for a moment before he shrugs and focuses his gaze on his food once again, sticking the spoonful into his mouth before speaking. “Just curious—there’s that boy I always see…”

Donghyuck’s eyebrows wrench together as he looks at Renjun in utter confusion. Boy? The only people that ever goes to Donghyuck’s apartment are his friends, Jaemin, Jeno—Mark.

“What!” Donghyuck practically yelps when he realizes what Renjun’s trying to imply. Renjun laughs at his reaction, smiling around his spoon. “Fuck, what the fuck?! Mark hyung?! Oh no, no, _no_! He’s my childhood best friend and he’s practically my brother now, he has a boyfriend—Yukhei, and they took me with them to their date today but I think they just wanted a photographer.”

Renjun’s laughter fills his entire apartment when Donghyuck finishes explaining. Donghyuck is so flustered now, all this time—Renjun thought that he’s seeing Mark. He’d rather die than date Mark.

Donghyuck has his face buried in his hands from the stress Renjun’s assumption caused but Renjun brushes his foot against Donghyuck’s calf under the table and he snaps his head up so fast he gains whiplash.

“So, no one will get mad right?”

He so hopes he’s not reading into this thing wrongly. But he’s lonely, and it’s Valentine’s day, and here’s his cute neighbour flirting with him. How corny can his life get?

Donghyuck takes a sip from his water, adam’s apple bobbing and he doesn’t miss the way Renjun’s eyes follow the movement. _Nice._ “Absolutely no one, I can promise that.”

Renjun’s foot against his calf moves once again, this time with more pressure that has Donghyuck shifting on his seat. It’s the bare minimum but Donghyuck is already excited. How pathetic, he thinks.

“That’s great, wonderful—” A beat. A silence, before Donghyuck’s stupid teenage boy brain gets the best of him.

“Do you want to watch a movie?”

Renjun bursts out into loud laughter and shakes his head in disbelief. Right, Donghyuck has embarrassed himself once again. He almost starts to bang his head against the table when Renjun’s foot travels a little bit higher and he speaks, “sure, a movie sounds nice.”

 

 

When someone asks if you want to watch a movie, most the time—they don’t really mean they want to watch a movie.

And when Donghyuck asked Renjun if he wants to watch movie, he really doesn’t mean that he wants to watch a movie.

But because Donghyuck sucks, he has chosen a movie that’s actually pretty interesting and now, even though they’re cuddling on his couch (as if they just didn’t begin talking tonight), with Renjun being the little spoon—he still can’t get the thought of kissing Renjun out of his Renjun invaded pea-brain.

They’re lying down on their sides, Renjun’s intently watching the movie but Donghyuck finds the rhythm of Renjun’s breathing more interesting than what’s on the screen. Renjun’s holding on to his hands as he rests it against the other’s stomach. The proximity makes Donghyuck warm, the smell of his soap on Renjun is doing absolutely nothing to ease his brain that’s going on overdrive. Perhaps it’s because he hasn’t been properly affectionate with anyone for months, but even just the slightest move and friction is making is head spin.

Subconsciously, Donghyuck’s fingers began to run up and down Renjun’s sides. He traces over the material of his hoodie, fingers ghosting over the gap of skin that’s appeared because of Renjun’s position. Renjun doesn’t seem to mind, and so Donghyuck continues his slight ministrations.

Truthfully, Donghyuck has never been the kind of person that’s into one-offs so this thing… whatever this is he’s doing with Renjun is new territory to him. He’s the kind of person that gets attached too easily, and despite being berated by his friends about this for multiple times now, Donghyuck still lets his heart unguarded.

Maybe, this is why he’s better off single and forever alone.

Renjun shuffles and their legs brush against each other at the movement. In that split second, Renjun has taken his hand and has slipped it up underneath the hoodie and has pressed his palm over the back of his hand, causing Donghyuck’s palm to flatten over Renjun’s stomach. Again, _nice._

“Stop thinking, it’s too noisy.” Renjun turns to face him now—and although the space is a little cramped, he like the way it allows him to be as close to Renjun as possible.

“I’m not thinking.” He defends, hand pushing up a little bit more to touch the small of Renjun’s back. His skin is smooth and soft under his calloused touch. Donghyuck’s brain is shutting down right about now.

Renjun looks at him and he lays still as his eyes traverse the expanse of Donghyuck’s face. He thinks he’s not bad to look at, easy on the eyes—but when someone looks at him with this much intensity, he can’t help but break eye contact and shy away.

“Your moles are really pretty.” Renjun whispers as the movie drones on in the background. Donghyuck thinks Renjun’s voice has dropped a little, and it brings a fire of excitement in him.

Donghyuck closes his eyes then tilts his head to the side with pride, showcasing the moles of his face and neck that form the constellation Ursa Minor when connected. “They’re the most interesting thing about me. These babies right here,” he traces the scatter of moles along his skin, “form the little dipper when connected—see?”

When he opens his eyes, Renjun’s staring at him intently and Donghyuck feels himself shiver just from the sheer intensity of his gaze. “I don’t think that’s the only interesting thing about you.”

Donghyuck hasn’t really thought this far. He didn’t think he’d actually get this far, but the tension is thick and their eye contact is unbreaking. Donghyuck really wants to kiss him right now.

Renjun licks his lips, as if he’s reading Donghyuck’s mind and his pretty eyelashes flicker up at him. He’s completely forgotten that Renjun has been crying a few hours prior. “Are you going to kiss me or does the guest have to do all the work?”

 _Now_ , that’s a clear enough signal for Donghyuck to act upon all his Renjun-induced wants.

It’s Donghyuck that leans in and closes the gap between their lips. The first thing that registers into Donghyuck’s consciousness is the softness of Renjun’s plush lips against his own. Renjun kisses him gentle, fingers finding the strings of his hoodie to pull him in closer while Donghyuck’s hand remains on his cheek.

He knows it’s by no means a kiss full of love ( _ ~~yet~~_ ) but the kiss makes Donghyuck feel wanted, validated—and he wants more of Renjun despite tasting the mint of his toothpaste in Renjun’s mouth.

Donghyuck moves with much more firmness now, sucking on the other’s bottom lip which gains him a shaky whimper from the other. Renjun isn’t passive, but responds as much as Donghyuck gives and Donghyuck gets the surprise of his life when Renjun licks into his mouth and Donghyuck tastes the warmth of Renjun’s tongue against his own.

He’s so _fucking_ weak. His hand that’s on Renjun’s cheek travels downwards even more, slipping back to its previous spot on the exposed gap of skin underneath the hoodie. Easily does Donghyuck slip his hand under the material, hand pressed flat against Renjun’s stomach.

Renjun moans at the touch, body arching even more against Donghyuck’s as if they aren’t already pressed flush against each other. Renjun manoeuvres them, pulls Donghyuck up by his shirt until they’re sitting up and Renjun’s straddling him.

Woah. Renjun’s straddling him, and Donghyuck’s beginning to forget how coldness feels from all the warmth that’s emanating from Renjun. Renjun breaks their kiss apart with a slight smile, eyes that spoke of intentions that Donghyuck feels invigorated just thinking about.

“You’re really hot.” Renjun mumbles as he dips down _so_ low on his neck and it takes a while before Donghyuck understands the fact that Renjun’s pressing kisses to the moles he has bragged about earlier. He almost embarrassingly squeaks at the touch, but keeps his hands steady on Renjun’s hips as the other leaves open mouthed kisses on his neck.

He’s a mess, his heart is beating fast and he knows Renjun knows what he’s doing to him.

Then, he feels the slight bite and then the pressure of Renjun sucking on his skin. Donghyuck moans and grips tighter against Renjun’s hips. They’re just making out, but Donghyuck is already so excited it’s embarrassing.

Renjun licks the blooming purple on his neck, just below the mole there and pulls away with a cheeky little smile. Donghyuck looks at him through the glaze in his eyes. Renjun is a menace, a menace that he’s willing to deal with no matter what it takes. “Now, can we watch the movie?”

Donghyuck whines, pouts and practically begs with his eyes—but Renjun beams at him and kisses the top of his nose. “Next time, I promise… take me out to dinner first, yeah?”

Next time. Next time! There’s a promise of a next time and that’s enough to keep Donghyuck satisfied. Donghyuck leans forward to press a kiss to Renjun’s lips. Which Renjun returns softly.

When they agree to watch the movie and then go to sleep after, Donghyuck begins to think that his notoriously single status will soon be over.

Tomorrow, when they wake up and Renjun’s still in his bed, Donghyuck’s heart blooms at the sight of Renjun’s sleeping figure. His eyelashes are wonderfully long against the pale of his skin, his hair is mussed up from the kissing and the sleep and Donghyuck really really wants to take him out to breakfast, lunch, dinner and every meal after.

Maybe Valentine’s day isn’t so bad after all.  

 

 

In the end, Donghyuck ends up missing work because of sleeping in. They call a locksmith to fix Renjun’s keypad problems and when that’s all over with, Renjun offers to make him lunch before he has to leave for his afternoon class.

When Donghyuck tells Mark about Renjun, he does berate him for letting a stranger into his life. But Donghyuck can’t listen to Mark, when Renjun’s telling him about his favourite television show called Moomin and everything else seems drowned out.

It’s a little too early to tell, but something in Donghyuck’s guts tell him that—yeah, Donghyuck really likes Valentine’s day now, and the day after that, and the days after that as well—as long as he can spend them with Renjun.

**Author's Note:**

> cc: [xuxikr](https://curiouscat.me/xuxikr)  
> twt: [@renduckie](https://twitter.com/renduckie)
> 
> please do tell me what u think!! uwu


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